UK Police Paint Their Nails to Fight Against Slavery

When police in the United Kingdom are not busy cracking down on “hate speech” online or making video games to fight “right-wing extremism,” they’re encouraging people to stand up against slavery by painting their nails.

On Wednesday, the Avon and Somerset police shared multiple photos of police officers -- both male and female -- donning painted nails for “Anti-Slavery Day.”

The “Let’s Nail It!” campaign, started by the anti-slavery organization Unseen, seeks to identify slaves in the United Kingdom who work in nail salons. According to Unseen’s website, the point of the campaign is to draw awareness to slavery by having people paint their nails in salons and post that they’re taking a stand against slavery.

The problem with the campaign, however, is that it instructs people to frequent the exact establishments that may be perpetuating slavery.

The Unseen website and a press release on the Avon and Somerset website both provide vague warning signs that someone can be a slave. Most of the signs are things that a once-a-year or even a once-a-month customer might not be able to notice, like whether the employees have few personal possessions or have restrictive movement:

1. Physical appearance

Victims may show signs of physical or psychological abuse, look malnourished, unkempt, or appear withdrawn.

2. Isolation

Victims may rarely be allowed to travel on their own, seem under the control, influence of others, rarely interact or appear unfamiliar with their neighbourhood or where they work.

3. Poor living conditions

Victims may be living in dirty, cramped or overcrowded accommodation, and/or living and working at the same address.

4. Few or no personal effects

Victims may have no identification documents, have few possessions and always wear the same clothes day in day out. What clothes they do wear may not be suitable for their work.

5. Restricted freedom of movement

Victims have little opportunity to move freely and may have had their travel documents retained, such as their passports.

6. Unusual travel times

They may be dropped off / collected for work on a regular basis either very early or late at night.

7. Reluctant to seek help

Victims may avoid eye contact, appear frightened or hesitant to talk to strangers and fear law enforcers for many reasons, such as not knowing who to trust or where to get help, fear of deportation, fear of violence to them or their family.

Instead of police officers investigating on their own whether a nail salon is actually employing slaves, police are encouraging people to frequent locations that can actually be havens for slavery in order to virtue signal on social media about how much they’re helping. And the police are participating, too.

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